3. Smitty #2
His words stopped us all cold. I’d never actually met him, but I’d heard about him and the brothers from the Washington Chapter. They were the OGs, and all the clubs looked to them whenever something big came up. Maverick was the president, and from what I’d heard, he had big shoes to fill.
Maverick was a legend in his own time.
Hell, he still was.
Goose’s expression darkened as he asked, “What the hell happened?”
“Wiped out on his way home from the clubhouse.”
“Damn.”
Motorcycle wrecks were never good. It didn’t matter how experienced the rider was. They always ended badly. “Is he okay?”
“Broken hip and elbow.” Seven grimaced. “And road rash from hell.”
We all winced. Road rash was the worst. It was a cross between a severe burn and a bloody scratch that, if bad enough, could go all the way to the bone. Drifter shook his head and grumbled, “Jesus.”
“But he’s going to be okay?” Memphis asked, sounding hopeful.
“No reason to think he won’t.” Seven shrugged. “He’s healthy and in good shape.”
“Hard-headed, too,” Drifter added.
“Yeah,” Seven scoffed. “That probably went in his favor, too.”
Memphis’ eyes narrowed. “Any idea what caused it?”
“Brake failure.”
Memphis gave him a look. I’m sure I did, too. Around here, we knew better than to ignore the possibility of bad intentions, especially when it came to a club president. “They think someone tampered with them?”
“They don’t think so,” Seven answered. “The bike had been giving him trouble for a while. He was losing pressure with the rear brake, and he had one of their boys work on it. They’re thinking the brake line fitting at the rear caliper wasn’t seated right.”
“If it worked loose enough, he’d lose hydraulic pressure,” I added.
“Yeah, that’s what they’re thinking happened.”
“Damn.” Goose cocked his head. “Hate it for the guy who did the repair. His ass is gonna be on the line.”
“Don’t you know it.”
From there, the conversation shifted to something else. Not because we didn’t care about the accident. We did. But Maverick was alive, and in time, he would recover. His brothers would see to it. They would also make sure he was looked after until he was back on his feet.
Goose let out a yawn and rolled his shoulders. “Have you been down to the construction site?”
“I was there this morning,” Seven answered.
“How’s it coming along?”
“Got the lot cleared.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Should be ready to start the foundation later this afternoon.”
“That’s good. Quicker than I expected.”
I listened as they talked. Most of it wasn’t new information. I’d overheard them talking about wanting a second Vault, and they were looking for some riverfront property for the new Vault. But I didn’t know all the ins and outs.
Up until a day ago, I wasn’t privy to that kind of information. That was club business, and club business was only shared among brothers. Regardless, it was clear that they’d gotten the property they wanted, and construction was about to start on the new building.
Goose glanced over at Seven. “How long are they thinking it’ll take to get the job done?”
“Four months. Maybe more.” Seven shrugged. “A lot depends on the weather. You know how it can be around here.”
“Hot as hell right now, but in a few months, it’ll be all four seasons in a day.”
“Exactly.”
“Then, they’d best bust it while they can.”
The mood lightened after that, but none of us had forgotten about Maverick and his accident. There was nothing worse than having a brother down, but life didn’t stop. Not for broken bones, not for bad luck, and definitely not for Fury.
Memphis and Seven had things to attend to, so they headed out, leaving Goose and me to take care of his bike. He grabbed the box from the backseat, and then, we both made our way to the garage. As soon as he started taking parts out of the box, I asked, “So, what’s it been doing?”
“Battery keeps dying.”
“What makes you think it’s the regulator?”
“Because I know.” He motioned his head toward the toolbox. “Hand me that wrench.”
I passed it over as I told him, “You know, you could’ve had one of the guys handle this.”
“Why would I do that when I can do it myself?”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
An hour later, the regulator was mounted, the wiring was connected, and Goose was acting like he’d done it all himself. He fired her up and boasted, “Look at that! She’s purring like a kitten.”
“You’re welcome.”
Goose cocked his brow. “Don’t ruin the moment, asshat.”
I laughed despite myself. Once we’d cleaned up, I headed over to the Vault. It was a pretty typical night. I was at the door, checking IDs and keeping an eye on things. I helped break up an occasional disagreement before it became something more and made sure the girls were taken care of.
It was pretty slow, just the way I liked it.
I had the early shift, which meant I was done and out the door before eight. That was rare, so I took full advantage and drove straight home. The apartment greeted me with the same silence it always did, along with dirty dishes in the sink and dirty boots at the door.
I spent the next hour making myself some dinner and cleaning up the place. I dealt with the dirty dishes and even did a load or two of laundry. My night was far from glamorous, but I welcomed the time to myself. I took a hot shower, and by the time I crawled into bed, I was beat.
I switched off the lamp and stared into the darkness, and it wasn’t long before my mind started wandering. I found myself thinking about a conversation I’d had a few weeks back with Drifter.
He’d asked me about my story. He said everyone had one, and I didn’t disagree. Instead, I told him about Aiden and the day I’d killed him.
It was the day my life split into before and after.
As I lay there staring up at the ceiling, I realized Aiden was only part of my story. He was the biggest one, the most painful one, but not the only one.
There was more. So much more.
There was me leaving home when I was eighteen in my old, beat-up truck and a couple of bags of clothes.
There were the lonely nights on the street, and the days I thought I would die of starvation or I’d freeze to death. Back then, I had no clue what was coming next. It was all about survival. Then, there was Cyrus and the garage, and the life that unfolded after.
Then, there was the day Seven walked into the garage and introduced me to the life of Fury.
Those were all big chapters in a fucked-up story.
But a key part was missing.
Brooke.
She was the kind of girl a man only meets once. The kind who changes everything without even trying. The kind who makes a man down on his luck believe that he might actually deserve something good.
Aiden haunted my past.
She haunted my future.
And I didn’t know which one hurt more.